UP: CMO still in hiding, family says won't let him join back work

Lucknow: The controversy over the alleged abduction of Gonda CMO SP Singh doesn't seem to be ending any soon with the CMO still in hiding and his alleged abductor Samajwadi Party leader Vinod Kumar Singh claiming innocence. But the CMO's family is still living under fear and doesn't want SP Singh to join back work. "We don't want him to continue working. We just want him back," said his son Shailendra Singh while speaking to CNN-IBN.

Vinod Kumar Singh, however, denies abducting the CMO. He has also resigned from the post of the Minister of State for Revenue and Rehabilitation on Friday. "I have resigned on moral grounds so that a fair investigation can take place," the Samajwadi Party leader told CNN-IBN. He also urged Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to order a probe into the matter.

But the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has been maintaining a silence over the issue. Though Vinod Kumar Singh has resigned, no FIR has been filed in the case yet. The administration says they can't do much as the CMO hasn't lodged a written complaint with them.

SP Singh, who continues to be in hiding, spoke to CNN-IBN from an undisclosed area and said, "My mental status is not stable. I will think about an FIR later. I have been staying at one of my relatives' place in Lucknow for the past three days." The CMO also added that he has not been able to meet the Chief Minister.

Describing his escape from the abductors, SP Singh said, "They had taken me from my home at around 12:45 am. They tore the list of the doctors that I made and instead drafted a new document. While they were busy preparing a new list, I found time to escape. I informed all the district officers on the way and they helped me escape."

The CMO's family, however, claims to be unaware of SP Singh's whereabouts. "My mother is unwell, my father's health is also not good. I don't know what to do. We've been looking for him," said his son Shailendra. As the abduction drama continues, the opposition party Bahujan Samaj Party has demanded the arrest of SP Singh. "This resignation is a facade. He should be arrested. There should be an FIR filed against him," said BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, CMO SP Singh said his mental status is not stable and he will think about lodging an FIR later.